Cork author Louise Hegarty on her first novel: ‘I’ve been training for this for 25 years’

Every so often, a debut novel stands out from the pack. This year, that book is ‘Fair Play’, says Aoife Barry. Cork author Louise Hegarty talks growing up in Glanmire, learning her craft from Agatha Christie, and the joy of being a debut novelist in her 30s

Louise Hegarty in Henchy's Bar, St. Lukes. Picture: David Creedon

Living in Ireland, we get used to great books being produced by debut authors. But every now and then a debut comes along that stands out from the pack. This year that book is Fair Play, the first novel by Cork author Louise Hegarty.

Anyone who’s been following Hegarty’s writing in the various journals she’s been published in over the last few years, such as Banshee and the Stinging Fly, will know that there’s something singular about her work. Her prose is never showy, her ideas can be a little quirky, and she loves to play around with form. We get all of this in Fair Play, which takes inspiration from Golden Age murder mysteries — think ‘queen of crime’ Agatha Christie — but spins out a modern tale of grief amidst the search for answers after a sudden death.